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Along with assorted other materials in this folder, the bulk of the documents here concern three aspects of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party: (1) the Freedom Vote of 1963, (2) the attempt by the MFDP to be seated at the Democratic Convention of 1964, and (3) the 1965 challenge to seating in Congress of white Mississippi Democrats in whose elections African Americans had not been allowed to vote. Included here are the 1960 platform and principles of the Mississippi State Democratic Party which reveal its rejection of the national Democratic Party's principles and its adherence to white supremacy. A blank pre-1965 official Mississippi voter registration form. A variety of materials relating to the Freedom Vote of 1963, when Aaron Henry ran for governor in Mississippi, including the procedures that would be followed in this mock election; a biographical sketch of Henry's running mate, Rev. Edwin King; Henry and King's political platform and campaign; Hamer, Houston, and Cameron's congressional campaign in the same Freedom Vote; a number of violent incidents that occurred during the campaign; Allard Lowenstein's statement on the difficulties the campaign faced in Mississippi; a press release on the Freedom Vote; and excerpts from Paul B. Johnson's gubernatorial campaign literature. There are COFO pamphlets about the MFDP. A press release about Victoria Gray's effort to unseat Senator John C. Stennis. Rules for running for mayor in spring 1965. An article by Richard Woodley anticipating Freedom Summer. Jerry DeMuth's article on Fannie Lou Hamer, "Tired of Being Sick and Tired." Minutes of the MFDP's June 7, 1964, Temporary State Executive Committee meeting. A document called "The Mississippi Political Program" which lays out MFDP's ambitious goals. There's a memo to U.S. Congressional members about the purpose of Freedom Summer. There are a variety of documents related to the seating of MFDP members at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, including state resolutions and newspaper clippings supporting the MFDP's congressional challenge; a press release outlining the MFDP's rejection of Paul Douglas's proposal that a Mississippi delegation consisting of half MFDP members and half Democratic Party of Mississippi members be seated at the Democratic National Convention; several form letters from the MFDP to convention delegates urging their support for seating of the MFDP; "A Primer for Delegates to the Democratic National Convention Who Haven't Heard about the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party"and other explanations of the convention challenge, including a couple of the MFDP's own explanations; lists of members of the Credentials Committee at the Democratic National Convention of 1964; an unattributed history of contested delegations to Democratic national conventions; explanations of why the Democratic Party of Mississippi did not represent its constituents or Democratic national policy; a Credentials Committee agreement on procedures; Joseph Rauh's legal brief submitted on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party; Raymond Guenter's legal memo arguing the MFDP's case; and explanations of why the MFDP refused to accept the Credential Committee's decision and its hopes for the 1964 Freedom Vote. A report entitled "Mississippi: How Negro Democrats Fared (Parts 1 and 2)" documents through affidavits what happened when African Americans tried to participate in Mississippi Democratic Party precinct meetings and county conventions leading up to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. There is vivid testimony about Freedom Summer in the Congressional Record, and a draft of the MFDP's principles and plaform. Both Charles Sherrod's and Aaron Henry's valuable accounts of the events at the Democratic National Convention are here, as well as discussions of the newly-printed Freedom Primers. An October 1964 SNCC press release publicizes the refusal by the Mississippi State Election Commission to place the names of three MFDP candidates--Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, and Annie Devine--on the November 1964 general election ballot. A document called "Statistics of Negro and White Voter Registration in the Five Congressional Districts of Mississippi" is here, along with a list of incidents of intimidation directed toward MFDP members campaigning for the Johnson-Humphrey ticket in the fall of 1964. An MFDP form letter asks summer volunteers to return to help with the 1964 Freedom Vote. There's also an assortment of materials explaining the steps involved in the congressional challenge of early 1965, including an organizational manual for Chicago for lobbying for this effort, and a 23-page document called "The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party."

Copyright to these documents belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. The principal organizations have been defunct for many years and copyright to their unpublished records is uncertain. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. We have attempted to contact individuals who created personal papers of significant length or importance. Nearly all have generously permitted us to include their work. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited.

Copyright to these documents belongs to the individuals who created them or the organizations for which they worked. The principal organizations have been defunct for many years and copyright to their unpublished records is uncertain. We share them here strictly for non-profit educational purposes. We have attempted to contact individuals who created personal papers of significant length or importance. Nearly all have generously permitted us to include their work. If you believe that you possess copyright to material included here, please contact us at asklibrary@wisconsinhistory.org. Under the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright law, teachers and students are free to reproduce any document for nonprofit classroom use. Commercial use of copyright-protected material is generally prohibited.